<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Jousting Lessons by Onehelluvapilot</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29334171">Jousting Lessons</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onehelluvapilot/pseuds/Onehelluvapilot'>Onehelluvapilot</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Camelove [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Merlin (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cute, Flirting, Jousting, M/M, Teaching</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 11:47:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>771</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29334171</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onehelluvapilot/pseuds/Onehelluvapilot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lancelot teaches William of Deira how to joust</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lancelot/William of Deira</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Camelove [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2151081</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Camelove 2021</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Jousting Lessons</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Squeeze the horse tightly with your legs, but try to keep the pressure consistent,” Lancelot instructed. He stood on the ground beside his mare, Eirawen, on top of whom sat ‘Sir William of Deira.’ The farmer was in fact no sort of knight, and the small village of Deira didn’t have any nobility living in it at all. This made disguising the fact that the supposed jousting champion actually had zero experience with the sport a little easier. However, the farmer had admitted that in the months since he’d returned from Camelot with the trophy, everyone in his village had wanted him to give them a demonstration of his skill, and the excuse that he had sprained his wrist wasn’t going to last much longer. On another trip to the market in the city, he’d run into Merlin again and asked whether there might be a vacationing knight or someone who could teach him how to joust well enough to dissuade the rumors about cheating. Lancelot could imagine the twinkle in the servant’s eye as he explained that he knew just the guy, and that in fact, his name even aligned with the role, and two weeks later he’d received a letter asking him to go to Deira. He was happy to give instructions on jousting to a friend of his friend, and it didn’t hurt that William was kind and cheerful and had a wide, genuine smile and beautiful blue eyes. “Eira is well-trained, but she’ll still shoot forward if you dig in suddenly with your heels.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” William said, though he sounded unsure. He adjusted his seat in the saddle, and Lancelot tried to keep from wincing outwardly at the even more awkward posture he took.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here,” he said as he laid a hand on the man’s thigh. “Try to grip with your whole leg. It’ll give you a more secure base, and make it less likely that you would be unhorsed in an actual joust.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know I’m not actually going to be going up against someone, right?” William reminded him. There wasn’t anyone else in the village that knew how to joust either, and they didn’t even have a proper quintain either. Instead of a jousting dummy that would spin out of the way with about the right amount of resistance, like knights would use at a proper practice field, they would have to come up with a makeshift target for him to show off against.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know. It’s good practice to do things properly anyway,” Lancelot said. His thoughts flashed back to Sir Ector, the lord who had taken him in after his family had been killed and allowed him to work and train as a page, and his weapon instructor, and the value they had placed on doing things well, even when there was no one there to see it. Lancelot’s penchant for mischief had frustrated the weapon’s master to no end, but Sir Ector had found it amusing, and even been proud, that the boy often chose to do the right thing over the proper one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” William replied, and Lancelot shook his head as he pulled himself back to the present.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t mean to insult you,” he assured him. “I’m simply worried about what may happen if a real knight learns of your jousting trophy and decides to fight you for it. I don’t want you to be hurt if you’re forced to accept the challenge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. I hadn’t thought about that happening…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It probably won’t. If someone does come looking for you, just stay humble. In the worst case scenario, if they demand a chance to win the trophy, instead offer to return the prize to the king and have him hold another tournament. That way, you won’t have to fight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If that happened, you and I could do the same thing as the Prince did,” William suggested with a smile. “I could be the front man, and you the actual jouster.” It was said as almost a proposition. The two men had been subtly flirting all morning, growing bolder as their comments were reciprocated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lancelot smiled. “If I wasn’t banned from Camelot, I should love to do so, but as it is, it’s too much of a risk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re banned from Camelot? Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a long story.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I suppose we do. After you try a couple of tilts, we can take lunch and I will tell you of it.” At least, as much as he could tell of it without revealing Merlin’s secret.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that a date?” William asked boldly, and Lance couldn’t help but smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>